That Thrift Store Find Is Worth How Much?

However, Chron frantically mashed a set of keywords into Google and confirmed her own suspicions. For just $10 she bought a McQ by Alexander McQueen black leather cape with a retail value of $2,150. “Lesson of the day,” she says. “Always have your phone on you when thrifting for a quick fact-check.”

Similarly, Chron once found a Christian Dior black patent mini monogram saddle bag buried amid a pile of skinny jeans and Forever 21 hoodies at a flea market. She trusted her instinct about its quality and authenticity, and bought it for $15. Current resale value? Over $2,300.

But not all epic vintage fashion scores are spontaneous or serendipitous. Tracking down a true preowned jewel often takes more legwork than flipping through the racks at your local Salvation Army. Rachael Bozsik, keynote speaker and personal branding coach to female entrepreneurs, says she’s “obsessed with the hunt.” So for her upcoming Aspen wedding, she poured hours of research into vintage scouring: setting alarm clocks for Paris timing, bidding in live auctions, and diving into Instagram hashtags. She also enlisted help from luxury bridal specialists and vintage consignors.

In the end she found her 1970s couture hand-beaded Prada rehearsal dress in a flea market for $150, with a retail value she estimates to be around $10,000.

Bozsik says that even as a child, she watched Antiques Roadshow instead of Saturday morning cartoon, and requested stops at every Goodwill along the route of family road trips.

“Over the years I picked up a few tips and tricks to authenticate,” she says, noting she investigates the lettering on tags as well the material and quality of zippers to help her suss out the value of a garment.

Plus, she does what she calls the crumple test. “In luxury items, the best of the best fabrics and leathers are used, so when looking at vintage tulle or chiffon dresses, it should feel soft, ethereal, and featherlike,” she says. “If you crumple a tulle or chiffon fabric, it should never feel rough or maintain its shape.”

The RealReal fashion and handbag expert Kevin Ngo explains that Bozsik’s approach is similar to ones the professionals use when evaluating value for vintage fashions and handbags.

He explains that the experts assess five pillars of authentication for handbags and garments: a piece’s hardware, fonts and typography, production codes, materials, and overall construction.

“Tags tell tales,” he says. “Almost every luxury handbag label utilizes production codes that consist of a specific format and sequence of letters and numbers to denote the age, style, craftsman, textiles, or even colorways of a piece.” For example, each Louis Vuitton bag made since 1982 bears an alphanumeric code that can help authenticate a piece.

Further, he says, don’t be too quick to discount a piece if you’re not familiar with its label: Brand fonts have transitioned over time for almost every luxury label, he explains. For example, Céline’s accent over the “e” has come and gone over the brand’s evolution.